Page 170 - LEIBY

170 Leiby – Border Smuggler

Nazis’ appel.26 I got drenched to the bone, and as you can see,
I’ve lived to tell the tale. The rain doesn’t bother me, the only
thing I want is to escape from here.”

Leiby glanced around, found an old army shirt, and held it out
to the man, but he shook his head in refusal. “No, I don’t want
it.”

“Why on earth not?”

“Because if I wear it, people will think that I’m a deserter.”

“Oh, no,” Leiby disagreed. “Lots of camp survivors wear old
army shirts. It’s become a kind of uniform for survivors… No
one will ever think that you’re a deserter.”

The stranger hesitated, but Leiby didn’t wait for his assent, and
draped the shirt over his emaciated body. Together they left the
farm.

A frigid wind blasted in their faces, and the fields and meadows
that they had to cross on their way seemed never ending. Leiby
walked quickly, and surprisingly enough, the stranger had no
trouble keeping up with him, despite his gaunt appearance.

“I’m used to long walks,” he explained, when Leiby commented
on his speed.“The Germans made us walk tremendous distances
on their horrific marches. I walked night and day without
stopping, I think I even fell asleep while continuing to walk.
Now I can walk for hours without feeling worn out.”

“Do you mean to say that you were in a German concentration
camp as well as a Russian prison camp?” Leiby sighed.

The stranger nodded.“Yes,and I’m not the only one,”he admitted

26 Appel ʹ ůŝŶĞƵƉ͘ ǀĞƌLJ ŵŽƌŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ĞǀĞŶŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ EĂnjŝƐ ŚĞůĚ Ă
ůŝŶĞƵƉ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶĐĞŶƚƌĂƟŽŶ ĐĂŵƉƐ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ ĂŶ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ͕ ĚƌĞĂĚĞĚ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ
ƚŚĞ ŝŶŵĂƚĞƐ͛ ĚĂLJ͕ ǁŚĞƌĞ ƚŚĞLJ ǁĞƌĞ ĐŽƵŶƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŶŽŶĞ ŚĂĚ
ĞƐĐĂƉĞĚ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ ĂůƐŽ ĂŶ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ EĂnjŝƐ ƚŽ ƉƵŶŝƐŚ ĂŶĚ ƚŽƌŵĞŶƚ
ƚŚĞŝƌ ǀŝĐƟŵƐ͕ ĨŽƌĐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ ƚŽ ƐƚĂŶĚ ĨŽƌ ŚŽƵƌƐ ŽŶ ĞŶĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƵƌŝŶŐ ƌĂŝŶ ĂŶĚ
ƚŚĞ ĨƌĞĞnjŝŶŐ ƐŶŽǁ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ďĂƌĞůLJ Ă ƐŚŝƌƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďĂĐŬƐ͘